My Brave Soldiers
by LIFE the RANGER
Summary: Mortal AU. One-shot! Nico is in the army, and he has to leave his husband, Percy, and their two children, Maddox and Patrick behind when he's called to duty. Follow the coping Percy and the twins do while Nico's gone, and follow the boys as they decide to be soldiers just like Nico. Percy couldn't be any prouder of his brave soldiers. Rated T for no apparent reason.


Okay this idea is random and came out of nowhere. Just bear with me on this train wreck. Gods don't exist. Mortal AU.

…

Percy gulped down his tears and pulled Nico tighter to himself, breathing in his scent. He wouldn't see Nico for at least a year, which was slowly going to drive him crazy. Their two young children, Maddox Paul and Patrick Marshal, blinked up at their dad with matching sets of sea-green eyes. They were only four, so they didn't understand what was happening. But Percy understood. His wonderful husband was off to Iraq, and not for the first time. Nico shouldered his bag and scooped his twin boys up.

"Daddy leaving?" Patrick asked, tilting his little head to the side. Maddox whimpered and buried his face in the space between Nico's neck and shoulder blade. Percy glanced away. Sending Nico away on duty was always difficult, but this time Nico had two little boys in addition to his husband. Percy couldn't imagine separating his children from their father, but Nico had his last tour of duty before he was to retire from the military. Nico kissed each of children in turn, and then kissed Percy's cheek.

"Yes, daddy's leaving," Nico said, handing the twins to their mother. "But daddy will be back next year. You'll be five when daddy comes back! Won't that be cool, being a whole other year older?" Patrick puffed out his little chest while Maddox gazed at their father sadly. "I'll be back before Halloween next year," Nico promised his sons. "Remember what you're going to be this year?"

"Power rangers!" Patrick squeaked excitedly. "I'm blue. Maddie's red." Even Maddox gave a tiny smile at his twin's enthusiasm. Halloween was next week, and today Patrick proudly announced that he and Maddie wanted to be Power Rangers for Halloween. Percy couldn't refuse the twins, especially since he knew what a sad day this was going to be. "Next year I want to be an army man like daddy," Patrick said solemnly.

"Me too," Maddox said. "Can we mommy? Can we be army men like daddy?" Percy shared a look with Nico over the twins' heads. Nico's dark eyes were shiny with unshed tears. "Mommy? Daddy? Are you okay?" Maddie asked.

"Yes sweetie," Percy said. "Of course you and Patrick can be army men like daddy. We'll have to get a picture when he gets back. My three soldiers." He set the twins down on the ground. "But we need a going away picture." Nico knelt between the twins, who pressed themselves to his side, clutching his camo shirt. Maddie snatched at Nico's dog tag, which the dark-haired boy smiled at.

"Here Maddie," he said, slipping it off. He fished two more out of his pocket. He slipped one over his head and then handed one to each of his sons. "These say daddy's name and information on them. You guys can keep them and use them with your Halloween costumes next year. All real army men have dog tags."

"Cool!" Patrick exclaimed, putting his own. Maddie followed suit at a slower pace. Suddenly, Patrick burst into tears. "Don't go daddy!" he wailed, throwing himself at Nico, who rocked back on his heels from the impact. Maddie buried his face in Nico's shirt. It tore Percy's heart to see his boys so distraught. This would be the first time they'd have to say goodbye to daddy for more than a standard work day. They wouldn't see him in a year. "Please don't go!" Patrick continued.

"Shh baby boy, it's alright," Nico said, stroking Patrick's hair. "Daddy will be back before you know it. You still have mommy you know." Patrick turned to look at Percy, who gave him a smile. "You guys can still talk to daddy once a month. Mommy can Skype me and you can see me."

"Really?" Patrick asked, his sea-green eyes widening. "We can see daddy?" Nico nodded, picking both twins up. Patrick wrapped his arms around his father's neck and rested his head on his shoulder. Maddie gripped Nico's arm with all the strength his little body possessed.

"Last call for troop 1473," the intercom buzzed. Nico made a face. That was his troop. They were heading out soon.

"Picture time boys," Percy said, holding up the camera. "Smile, my three soldiers." Nico and the twins smiled for the camera while Percy snapped a picture of them. "Okay Pat. Okay Maddie. Daddy needs to go now." Nico set the twins down and they slowly made their way to Percy, who lifted them up into his own arms. Nico turned on his heel and joined the ranks of soldiers gathering at the gate. He greeted a few of them and was soon lost in a sea of green and brown.

"Bye daddy," Patrick said sadly. "Come home soon." Percy swallowed the giant wad of cotton in his mouth down as he walked out of the airport with his sons.

"Daddy will be home before you know it," he said, hoping that was the case. "Come on, my soldiers. Those Halloween costumes won't pick out themselves. And afterwards, let's go get ice cream. And you can have all the sprinkles you want." Patrick cheered and Maddox sulked. Percy's heart broke all over again. Nothing could make Maddie cheer up now.

…

"Look at my handsome Power Rangers," Percy gushed, snapping pictures of the twins as they gathered their plastic pumpkin buckets. Percy wanted to get them both orange ones, but the twins insisted they wouldn't argue over the buckets they got. So Maddie got red and Patrick got purple. And sure enough, neither twin complained or fought. "But I don't think Power Rangers wear dog tags," Percy said. He reached to take them off, but the twins ducked out of the way.

"Don't mommy!" Patrick said. "Daddy gave us these. Soldier Power Rangers wear them. We're your little soldiers, remember?" Percy shook his head and kissed Patrick and Maddie's foreheads.

"How could I ever forget?" he asked them. "Come. Grandma and grandpa are bound to give you lots of candy." Patrick and Maddie raced each other to the door. The best part about living in an apartment building with your parents close at hand was that you never had to leave your building to trick or treat. "Wait for me boys. We're going to see Miss Dare before we see Granny and Gramps." Rachel Elizabeth Dare had been Percy's friend for years, and she lived in the apartment next door. Percy walked with the excited twins to apartment 78, Rachel's apartment. He rang the doorbell as the twins bounced excitedly in front of him. Rachel threw her door open and smiled at the Percy mini-mes.

"Hello Pat, hello Maddie," Rachel said.

"Trick or treat!" the twins chorused, watching as Rachel dumped a handful of goodies into their buckets. "Thank you Miss Rachel!" they said at the same time. Rachel chuckled.

"Right on cue as usual," she said. "What are you guys supposed to be?"

"We're power rangers!" Patrick said. "I'm the blue ranger and he's the red ranger." He pointed at Maddie to prove his point.

"Actually, we're soldier power rangers," Maddie said, showing Rachel the dog tags. "These are daddy's. He gave them to me and Pat before he left for war. Next year we're going to dress like real soldiers, just like daddy."

"Oh," Rachel said softly, adding more candy to their buckets. The twins giggled and ran down the hall to Granny's apartment. Percy was about to follow when Rachel grabbed his upper arm. "I'm really sorry Percy," she said softly. "It must be hard having the twins here and having Nico so far away from them." Percy sucked in a few deep breaths before he could break down.

"It's always hard when he leaves," he replied. "But this one is the hardest yet. I hope he gets back soon. The boys miss him so much. This is the happiest they've been in a week. I can only imagine how their first Christmas without daddy is going to be like…" He stopped abruptly. "I won't think about that now. Not while they're having fun. I should catch up to them before they give my poor mother a heart attack. See ya Rach." He floated off down the hall and let himself into his mother's apartment. Maddie and Pat were helping themselves to a plate of brownies and cups of milk from Granny and Gramps. Paul grinned sheepishly at Percy as the brunette entered.

"We couldn't resist," he said. "What grandparents don't spoil their grandchildren anyway?" Percy grinned and shook his head. He should've known. His mother added two full sized chocolate bars, each, to the twins' buckets, followed by a large rice crispy treat. The twins gazed into their buckets excitedly. Percy groaned. His boys would be having a sugar rush for hours to come.

A couple hours later and Maddie and Pat had to _drag_ their candy buckets back up to the apartment. They always got extra candy when they told the person at the door about how they were going to be soldiers like their daddy. Percy didn't even think the boys noticed this. They were just proud to be soldiers like their father. Maddie and Pat dropped their buckets as soon as they got into the apartment and collapsed onto the couch. Percy grinned at them. Trick or treating sure wore them out. He went into the kitchen and got out matching green army camo sippy cups, which he filled with milk and carried to the twins' room ahead of them. He helped them into their airplane pajamas and helped them climb into bed. He handed them their cups, and both set theirs aside. They had to pray before they got settled. Percy bowed his head, and his boys followed suit.

"Dear God," Patrick said. "Thank you for an awesome day of trick or treating. We got so much candy! Please keep daddy safe while he's at war. He has to come home to us. Watch over him please. Make sure he can Skype with us this Saturday. Amen." Percy rose and flipped on the twins' nightlight, and then shut the door behind him, listening to the twins talking and finally the sounds of them sucking the milk out of their cups. Percy moved to the living room and curled up on the couch, clutching Nico's framed picture to his chest like he did every night after he put the boys to bed.

"Dear God," Percy said softly. He always prayed by himself too. "I thank you once again for my family and my life. Both are good. Keep watch over Nico for me. He has to be home to see his boys next year. Keep watch over us all, in your son's precious name, amen." He stroked the glass of the frame, seeing Nico's smiling face staring back at him. He always got emotional when Nico was away on duty, but this one was especially hard. He kept glancing at the boys' room, expecting one of them to run out in tears and demand that mommy bring daddy back right now. But nothing. He fell asleep curled up against the arm of the couch, cradling Nico's picture.

…

"Daddy! Daddy! Look what Maddie and I made!" Patrick said, holding his picture proudly up to the laptop screen. It was Saturday, aka the first day that the twins would get to see daddy in almost two weeks. The day before, Maddie and Pat had come home with a family picture, all drawn in scribbled crayon of course. They had daddy in his army uniform, and they drew the dog tags above their heads. Percy was on the other side of them, holding a camera in one of his hands. The tittle said in big, black marker "Mommy's Soldiers". The teacher wanted to keep it to hang it on the wall, but Maddie and Pat insisted they needed to show it to their daddy first. She relented and let them bring it home. Now they were showing it to Nico.

"It's beautiful Pat," Nico said with a smile. "You got mommy's big head just right." Pat giggled while Percy glared at his husband. But he wasn't mad. The fact that Nico called calmed his fears a little bit. Maddie and Pat hovered by the laptop all day long, waiting to hear it chime so mommy could make daddy appear on the screen. "Can you guys give mommy and me some privacy now?" The boys scrambled off to their room. "Finally, I have my baby all to myself," Nico said with a sly smile. "I miss you so much Perce. This year is going to go by so slow!"

"Don't say that," the brunette hissed. "The boys may hear. But I agree with you. This is going to be the toughest year yet. The twins are so proud of you though, babe. They told everyone at preschool they wanted to be soldiers when they grow up, because their daddy is a soldier." Percy smiled sadly at the laptop. "I don't think I could handle both of my baby boys being away from me for so long. They're my precious angels. I don't want them going away to war."

"I know baby, I know," Nico said softly. "I don't want them to have this kind of life either. But if they truly want to be soldiers, we won't be able to stop them. I think it's both wonderful and dangerous at the same time. But I'm not going to stand in the way if they want something. I would never want them to resent us for it." Percy sighed and nodded.

"I don't either," he replied. "That still doesn't stop me from wishing they had something different in mind for their futures." Nico smiled at that.

"They want to serve their country like daddy," he responded. "That's not a bad thing. I think that's the best thing they could do with their futures. Hey, I have to go. It's Collins turn with the computer. I'll talk to you another time." Nico blew a kiss at the screen. "I love you Percy. I send my love to the boys too." Nico logged off his Skype before Percy could say anything.

"Did daddy leave?" asked Maddie, sticking his head into the doorway. "He didn't even say goodbye!" Percy ran to his children and scooped them up. He hugged them to himself, murmuring quietly to them.

"Daddy had to leave in a hurry because another soldier wanted to talk to his family," he said quickly. "But daddy loves you both very much and he wishes he could be back here with you."

…

Christmas at the di Angelo house was a somber affair. Maddie and Pat didn't wake up at five like they usually did and wake Percy. So at eight Percy dragged them out of bed and sat them on the couch, showering them with Christmas gifts from mommy and Santa. Maddie looked at everything, teary-eyed, and asked if there was any presents from daddy. Percy stopped handing them gifts after that, and they got to open what they had. They each got matching army uniforms with plastic guns and holsters, which they loved. They got a car table with about a hundred Matchbox cars and some trains. They got toys and clothes and books galore. But their favorite present was the framed photo of daddy from the airport. They each got a copy of the photo, and all other toys were abandoned. They sat on the couch the rest of the morning, clutching their pictures of daddy and watching Christmas cartoons on TV.

"Lunch time boys!" Percy called from the kitchen. The twins padded in, still in their matching red footie pajamas. They crawled up into their spots while Percy set plates of ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, and fudge. They always had fudge as Christmas lunch. But this year, the twins weren't digging in like they usually did. "Hey boys," Percy said. "Daddy knows you aren't eating. He's disappointed."

"No!" Maddie said. "Don't be disappointed daddy." He and Pat began eating in earnest. Percy smiled to himself. Usually, they'd go down to Granny and Gramps' for supper, but this year the brunette figured that his boys would just want to stay home and cuddle on the couch with mommy and their photos of daddy. His mother would understand her son's need to keep things to themselves this Christmas.

"How about we watch Rudolph tonight?" Percy suggested to his boys, who nodded with mouthfuls of ham and potato. That was their favorite Christmas movie, and they watched it every year on Christmas night. "Granny and Gramps are busy, so it'll just be us tonight," Percy added. "You guys can open more presents if you want after lunch."

"Can we just play with the toys we have?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah," Patrick chimed in. "It's not the same without daddy here to help us open things." Percy sighed. It seemed that no matter how many steps forward the twins took, they went just as many back. They hadn't spoken to daddy in two months, and it was killing them not knowing how he was doing. Percy couldn't tell them this, but Nico was in the worst of the war right now. They were trying to take control of the government, so that would be taking most of his time. He hoped Nico was alright. He wanted desperately to hear from him.

"Alright boys, let's go cuddle," he said half-heartedly. The twins hadn't eaten as much as they normally would, but he didn't fault them for it. He knew they were missing their father. He led them into the living room and slipped in Frosty the Snowman, sitting down on the couch and pulling the boys onto his lap. Both boys still clutched their pictures of Nico tightly to their chests. Percy felt he should take the photos, and the dog tags both boys still wore around their necks, away, but he didn't have the heart. He wanted them to keep all the memories they had of their father.

…

"Happy Fourth of July boys!" Percy said, snapping photos with his phone. Both boys were on the sidewalk in front of the building, on their bikes, turning this way and that so mommy could get all the temporary tattoos on their arms and cheeks. They were going to go down to Times Square and see all the floats. The boys wanted to ride their bikes, so Percy would follow behind them. He had two plastic bags stuck in the back of his pocket to hold the candy they would most definitely get while they were there. Maddie was faster on his bike than Patrick was, so Percy walked beside Patrick and behind Maddie. It was only a few blocks to Times Square, and they reached it in about ten minutes. They lined the walk with about a hundred other people and watched as the first of the floats came. It showed troop 560, another troop from around the area. Maddie and Patrick saluted the float, and the people around them smiled and laughed.

After the parade they went to Granny and Gramps for lunch. And of course the boys got to eat their candy in addition to the hamburgers, homemade fries, and red and blue jello. They had their cousins, Nicky, Harper, and Selene Grace, were with them as well. Jason and Leo joked and laughed with everyone, even though they hadn't seen them since Easter. Percy decided that an egg hunt without daddy to crack the eggs at the end would be too much for the boys to bear, so they stopped to say hello and left quietly. Percy was enjoying himself for the first time since Nico left for Iraq. So when his phone rang, his heart plummeted.

"Hello?" he answered, moving away from his family. He didn't want Maddie and Pat to hear the phone call.

"Percy?" someone asked. Percy grunted. "This is Lieutenant Collins from troop 1473. I am so sorry, but our base was attacked this morning. Seven soldiers died. Nico was one of them. He was gunned to death." The phone slipped from Percy's hand and clattered to the floor. The conversation at the table stopped abruptly as heads turned to stare at the brunette. Percy sank to his knees.

"Noooooo!" he wailed. "No! No no no no no!" Sobs racked his body and he curled up on his side. Sally jumped up from her place at the table and ran to her son's side, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Why him? Why now? Nico!" Jason, Leo, and Paul scrambled up from the table and crowded around Percy, giving him a group hug. Percy was breaking all over again. Why his Nico? Why his precious Nico?

…

Percy stood over his husband's casket, trying his best not to cry. Nico looked like himself, but he didn't. There was a faint tinge of yellow to his skin, and his dark hair was now lined with gray. They'd had to remodel a lot on him, so there was that fake feeling about him. There was a single white rose under his palm, and a family photo next to his head. He would be buried with it, along with his dog tags and army jacket. A folded flag was lying across the end of the coffin. He lifted Maddie and Pat up so they could see their daddy one last time before they closed the coffin.

"Daddy," Patrick said softly, subdued. "Wake up daddy. This isn't funny anymore. We need you. Daddy, wake up. Mommy's crying. You need to wake up." Tears were now freely flowing down all three faces as Percy squeezed his sons to himself.

"Daddy can't wake up," Percy said hoarsely, watching as the pure white lid of the coffin was lowered. "Daddy will never wake up again boys. Daddy's in Heaven now. You'll see him again someday." He sat down in the front row with his sons, listening as Dancing with Angels began playing softly through the speakers. He would never again be able to hear this song without thinking of this day. He dreaded going to the cemetery afterwards, because it meant having to hear the twenty-one gun salute and the weeping all over again. His boys were tired. Maddie was bawling into his dress shirt and Patrick was rubbing his eyes.

"Mommy," Patrick said softly.

"Yes baby?" Percy replied, looking at him.

"I miss daddy," he said. "Why did those bad people have to kill him? Didn't they know he was a daddy with two little boys at home that needed him?" Percy buried his face in his son's hair and tried his best not to burst into fresh tears.

"Daddy died defending his country," Percy told his son. "There's no greater honor than that. Your father was a hero Patrick, a real hero. I couldn't ask for you to have a better role model than Nico."

"I'm going to defend my country when I get bigger," Patrick declared. "Just like daddy. Not the dying part." He laughed, quietly and sadly.

"Me too," Maddie whispered, looking up. "We want to be heroes like dad." Percy hugged his babies to himself. He didn't want them growing up too fast.

…

The twins turned five a month after the funeral, but instead of a party, they wanted to take flowers to their father's grave. Percy didn't argue with them, and they bought the biggest bouquet of green and blue tinged roses they could safely carry. The twins carried it to their father's grave it set it down on the little cement slab that held all his flowers. There were other bouquets there, but none as big as the one the boys bought him.

"Here you go daddy," Patrick said, setting a little photo of himself and Maddie when they were babies on the soft earth over his grave. "It's me and Maddie. Now, even when we leave, we'll be with you. We love you very much dad. But you're with God now. He's watching over you always, and you sit by his right hand. Someday, Maddie and I will see you again. I can't wait for us to be a family again." Percy stared at his son, tears in his eyes. His baby boys had to grow up too fast for his liking.

"Daddy misses you both so much," the brunette said, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "He would be so proud of you today. Do you guys want to go somewhere for supper."

"Actually mom, could we do something else instead?" Maddie asked hesitantly. He and Patrick had been talking about this for weeks before their birthday. With a little help from Granny, they'd finally settled on something they all agreed on. "Instead of spending the money on food and presents for us, could we donate it to the Fallen Patriots Fund? They support the families of dead or disabled soldiers. Pat and I want help by using the money you'd spend on us to help them instead." Percy's heart swelled with pride. His little soldiers were already thinking ahead. "And can we do it every year?" Maddie continued. "Every year on our birthday we want to give money to the Fallen Patriot Fund." Patrick nodded in agreement, looking anxiously at their mom.

"Boys, that's a wonderful idea," Percy said. "Your father would agree with me. That is very generous of you. What made you decide to do this?"

"We want the other families with dead daddies to be happy too," Patrick said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "We can't think of a better way to celebrate our birthday than to help other families." Percy hugged his children to himself.

"I love you both, my brave little soldiers," he said. "Come. Let's go sign up to donate, boys." He took each of the twins' hands and led them out the cemetery gates. He felt, somehow, Nico was looking down on them. And he was very, very proud of his five year old sons.

…

Patrick and Maddox were fifteen today. It had been ten years since their father's death. It stung painfully. Maddox flat out refused to leave the twins' shared room. Patrick knew that Maddox took the death hard, even know. He'd come to accept the fact there father wasn't around anymore. Their mother still hadn't dated anyone else, and probably never would. Nico was the only love of his life, and nothing was going to change that.

"Maddie, come on out," Patrick called softly through the closed doorway. "It's almost time to donate." Every year for the last ten years, the twins donated two hundred dollars, one hundred from each of them, to the Fallen Patriots Fund. It was the highlight of their day. Their cousins Nicky and Harper donated fifty dollars on their birthday too.

"I don't want to Pat," Maddie called back. "It's been ten years. I still can't believe dad's still gone." Pat shoved his way into the room, and glanced around. Everywhere you looked, you'd find everything dealing with the army. Both boys were still going to enlist when they turned eighteen, three years from now. There were posters and t-shirts everywhere. Their dad's folded flag was mounted between their beds. Patrick reached under his shirt and gently ran his fingers over his dad's dog tag. He and Maddie wore them every day since their dad gave it to them eleven years ago. They were their most sacred treasures. Both boys would rather die than lose their dog tags.

"Maddie, dad's not coming back," Pat said softly. "But you know how much he misses us. I wish he was back too."

"It's just not fair," Maddie complained. "Out of all the soldiers out there, why our dad? Why the one person we relied on most? Why him?"

"Don't talk like that Maddie," Patrick scolded. "At least only seven soldiers died that day. There could've been more. Then there'd be dozens of widows and more children with no father or mother." Maddie squeezed his eyes shut.

"I know that Pat," he replied at last. "But I just don't understand. I get that our dad died for his country, but why would he do it? Why would he face a gunman like that?"

"He did it for us," Patrick responded. "He died defending us Maddie. He made sure that the war didn't come over seas to the US. He died a real hero. And in three years, we're going to war, just like him. We'll be heroes too. We'll be mom's brave soldiers once again." Maddie sniffed and nodded.

"You're right," he agreed. "We'll always be mom's brave soldiers. Dad would be proud of us, wouldn't he?" Patrick nodded and slung an arm over his brother's shoulder.

"So proud his heart would burst," Patrick said. "No come. We have another two hundred dollar donation to make." Patrick led his brother out to the living room, grabbed the laptop, and sighed into their account. Percy floated in from the kitchen, and they all watched as the next two hundred dollar donation was confirmed.

…

Percy had tears in his eyes as he hugged both his sons. As soon as they'd turned eighteen, they'd enlisted, both of them. They'd gone through basic training and passed through with flying colors. Now, they were off to Israel on a peace mission. Their very first mission.

"You must Skype me as often as you can," the brunette said anxiously, adjusting Maddie's army jacket. He looked at his son's neck, and found two dog tags. "Two?" he asked him. Maddie nodded.

"Mine," he lifted the front one. "And dad's." He touched the back one. "Patrick has dad's on too. We're never taking them off. This is the last thing dad ever gave us." Percy choked down his tears. "Aw mom, don't cry." The brunette found himself sandwiched between his sons. "We'll be back before you know it."

"Troop 1473," the intercom chimed. "Now boarding 1473." Percy gaped at his sons.

"Your father's troop," he said. "You guys are in your father's troop." Maddie nodded while Patrick grinned at their mom.

"Yep," Patrick said. "We are. They were thrilled to have two di Angelos in the troop. Most are sorry about dad, but we told them it's okay. Dad died a hero. What more could we ask for?" Percy didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry and he squeezed the breath out of his sons.

"I love you both," he said. "Return home soon. And hey," he added as Maddox and Patrick turned toward the gate. But the paused when he spoke again. "I'm so proud of you, my brave soldiers. So very proud. You're father's up in Heaven watching over you, remember that. And he's glowing with pleasure. Maddie reached up and touched his dad's dog tag one last time before disappearing in a sea of camo, Patrick not far behind. Percy watched his soldiers disappear into the crowd, and he felt saddened and overjoyed at the same time. There went his precious babies. He couldn't be prouder of them. Percy stood and watched their plane disappear, and then he hung around long afterwards.

"Oh Nico," he whispered, reaching under his shirt and touching his own dog tag, the one Nico gave him when he first left. "Our sons are going to be heroes just like you. I'm scared to death. What if they have the same fate as you? If I lost you all I wouldn't be able to take it. There'd be no point in living anymore." He suddenly felt the sensation of arms around him, but when he looked back, there was no one there. No one physical anyway.

_Have faith, my wonderful baby_, he heard Nico's voice say. _The boys will return home fine. You'll have many years left with them_.

"And in the distant future, I'll see you again," Percy whispered. "And after that our boys will join us. We'll be a family again. I'm so proud of you, my brave soldiers. All of you. I couldn't ask for a better family. You're all my heroes." Percy sat down at the bar and stared at the window, watching the sun sink beyond the horizon. Only 364 days until his babies came home.

…

Okay, that's officially done. I have no idea where that came from, and you all better feel lucky, because I don't write until two in the morning for just anybody. I really hope you enjoyed this.


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